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Troubleshooting: No Sound

Use this page when there is no sound in the church (the main auditorium), or when one microphone can't be heard. Work through the checks in order and stop as soon as the sound comes back.

Stay calm — it's usually simple

The most common causes are a fader down, a mute button on, or a radio mic switched off / flat battery. Check those first.

A. No sound at all in the room

flowchart TD
    A[No sound in the room] --> B{Are the JBL speakers powered on?}
    B -- No --> B1[Turn the speakers on] --> Z[Test again]
    B -- Yes --> C{Is the QU-5D mixer on?}
    C -- No --> C1[Turn the mixer on, then speakers] --> Z
    C -- Yes --> D{Is the main LR fader up?}
    D -- No --> D1[Raise the main LR fader to its mark] --> Z
    D -- Yes --> E{Is the speaking mic's fader up and un-muted?}
    E -- No --> E1[Raise the fader, press MUTE off] --> Z
    E -- Yes --> F[See section C below or call Mills IT]

Step by step:

  1. Speakers on? Check the JBL SRX812P speakers are powered. If off, turn them on.
  2. Mixer on? Check the QU-5D is on and the screen is lit. If off, turn the mixer on first, then the speakers.
  3. Main fader up? The main (LR) fader controls overall room volume. Raise it to its normal mark.
  4. The mic in use — fader up and un-muted? Raise that channel's fader and make sure its MUTE light is off.

➡️ Mixer controls: QU-5D Mixer.

B. One particular microphone can't be heard

Microphone Channel Check these
Lectern 1 Fader up? Mute off?
Handheld 2 Fader up? Mute off? Mic switched on? Battery good?
Handheld 3 Fader up? Mute off? Mic switched on? Battery good?
Headset 4 Fader up? Mute off? Mic switched on? Battery good?
Pulpit 5 Fader up? Mute off?
Choir/Organ Rode M5 Faders up? Mute off?

For radio microphones (2, 3, 4) the extra checks matter most:

  1. Is the microphone switched on?
  2. Is the battery good? Replace it if low — see Battery Replacement.
  3. Is the person speaking close enough to the mic?

If ALL three radio mics are dead at once

The three radio microphone receivers are powered by the top power strip. If none of Channels 2, 3 and 4 work (even with good batteries), that strip is probably off — switch it on. See Sunday Startup — Step 7.

➡️ Which mic is which: Microphone Guide.

C. Sound in the room but not online or not in the foyer

The room, the foyer and the livestream are separate mixes:

This is normal behaviour, not a fault

A microphone can be up for the room but not in the foyer or livestream matrix. The fix is to raise it in the correct matrix mix, not the main fader.

D. A loud squeal (feedback)

If you get a loud squeal:

  1. Lower the fader of the microphone causing it (usually the one just opened or held near a speaker).
  2. Keep handheld mics pointed at the mouth, away from speakers.
  3. Close any microphones not in use.

Still no sound?

If you have worked through the steps and there is still no sound:

  • The service can continue using a handheld radio mic as a backup if the fixed mics fail, or vice-versa.
  • Note exactly what happened and contact Mills IT — see Regular Checks for contact details.